Arisba

For the town of ancient Lesbos, see Arisba (Lesbos). For the genus of nymphalid butterflies found in South America, see Dynamine.

Arisba or Arisbe (Ancient Greek: Ἀρίσβη; Eth. Ἀρισβαίος), was a town of Mysia, mentioned by Homer in the same line with Sestos and Abydus.[1] It was between Percote and Abydus,[2] a colony of Mytilene, founded by Scamandrius and Ascanius, son of Aeneas. It was a member of the Delian League.[3]

The army of Alexander the Great mustered here after crossing the Hellespont.[4] When the wandering Gauls passed over into Asia, on the invitation of Attalus I, they occupied Arisba, but were soon defeated, in 216 BCE, by Prusias I of Bithynia.[5] In Strabo's time, the place was almost forgotten.

There are coins of Arisbe from the Roman emperor Trajan's time (early 2nd century), and also autonomous coins.

Its site is tentatively located at Musakoy in Asiatic Turkey.[6][7]

  1. ^ Homer, Iliad 2.837
  2. ^ Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica Ἀρίσβη
  3. ^ Athenian Tribute Lists
  4. ^ Arrian, The Anabasis of Alexander 1.12
  5. ^ Pol. 5.111
  6. ^ Richard Talbert, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. p. 51, and directory notes accompanying. ISBN 978-0-691-03169-9.
  7. ^ Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.